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Nyad on record swim: "It was like hell on earth"

(CBS News) Diana Nyad completed a record swimMonday from Cuba to Key West, Florida. She's the first person to do it without a shark cage -- and she did it at age 64. We caught up with her the day after her accomplishment.

Diana Nyad said there were moments during her 110-mile swim from Cuba to Key West that she had some doubt.

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So how did Nyad sleep last night? "Like a baby," she replied, "and I kept waking up and I was smiling."

But Nyad said there were moments during her 110-mile swim when the struggle was almost too much -- especially Saturday night, when she became nauseous from swallowing seawater. "Honestly, it was like hell on earth," she said.

At her lowest point, did any part of her think that's enough? "I admit during Saturday night," Nyad recalled, "I thought, 'Can I do this for two more nights?'"

But things turned around the next night, when Nyad's best friend, Bonnie Stoll, saw something on the horizon.

"People have written me to criticize and say, 'It's all great, it's inspiring. But you know what could be done with that kind of money instead of financing your little personal dream?' Forget about the world record -- just a human willing to chase a dream and show her resolve to the point that she just won't give up. After all this failure she just won't give up. That message and the way people respond to it -- that's worth a million bucks, isn't it?"

Nyad said she's done now with swimming in the open ocean. But she is already planning another swim next month -- 48 hours in a pool in New York City to raise money for Hurricane Sandy victims.

Elaine Quijano was named a CBS News correspondent in January 2010. Quijano reports for "CBS This Morning" and the "CBS Evening News," and contributes across all CBS News platforms. She is based in New York.